Boat having pivotally mounted steering mechanism

ABSTRACT

A boat having a transom which constitutes the stern wall of a well provided in the boat, an outboard motor being pivotally mounted on the transom with a portion of the outboard motor having pivotally connected thereto, at a spaced distance from the axis about which the motor is pivotally mounted on the transom, one end of a rigid actuating rod which is slidably disposed within a guide tube. The guide tube is disposed through an opening in a side wall of the well and presents the ball of a watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of the side wall bounding the entire opening through the thickness of the side wall whereby the socket extends across the entire thickness of said side wall. Thus, pivotal movement of the actuating rod, and of the guide tube within which the rod is disposed, is permitted about the ball and socket joint in order to accommodate pivotal movement of the outboard motor, while even if water enters the well by passing over the transom, this water is prevented from passing from the well through the opening in the side wall thereof into the interior of the hull of the boat. Passage of water into the interior of the hull of the boat could of course result in the boat being swamped.

United States Patent Rowley 1 June 20, 1972 [54] BOAT HAVING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED STEERING MECHANISM Ernest W. Rowley, 13952 Dunton Drive, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada 22 Filed: April 30, 1910 [21] Appl.No.: 33,295

[72] Inventor:

Primary Examiner-Andrew H. Farrell Attorney-Maybee & Legris A boat having a transom which constitutes the stern wall of a well provided in the boat, an outboard motor being pivotally mounted on the transom with a portion of the outboard motor having pivotally connected thereto, at a spaced distance from the axis about which the motor is pivotally mounted on the transom, one end of a rigid actuating rod which is slidably disposed within a guide tube. The guide tube is disposed through an opening in a side wall of the well and presents the ball of a watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of the side wall bounding the entire opening through the thickness of the side wall whereby the socket extends across the entire thickness of said side wall. Thus, pivotal movement of the actuating rod, and of the guide tube within which the rod is disposed, is permitted about the ball and socket joint in order to accommodate pivotal movement of the outboard motor, while even if water enters the well by passing over the transom, this water is prevented from passing from the well through the opening in the side wall thereof into the interior of the hull of the boat. Passage of water into the interior of the hull of the boat could of course result in the boat being swamped.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDmzo m2 INVENTOR. ERNEST W. ROWLE ATTORNEYS BOAT HAVING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED STEERING MECHANISM This invention is concerned with improvements relating to boats having pivotally mounted steering mechanisms.

Many small boats, and particularly those intended to be used primarily for pleasure purposes, are powered by outboard motors which are each pivotally mounted on a stern transom of the associated boat, the steering of the boat, in order operatively to vary the direction of travel thereof, being achieved by pivotal movement of the motor in the appropriate direction. In many cases, such pivotal movement of the motor is controlled by an actuating member which is slidably disposed within a guide tube and which is pivotally connected to a portion of the motor disposed at a spaced distance from the axis about which the motor is pivotally mounted, the actuating member being, remote from the motor, connected to suitable means, such as a steering wheel arrangement, which is manually operated in order to cause sliding movement of the actuating member within the guide tube in the appropriate direction. The steering wheel arrangement is mounted within the boat so that the actuating member is customarily disposed through an opening provided in an external wall of the boat, the external wall being constituted by, for example, a side wall of a well which is provided in the boat and the stem wall of which is constituted by the transom on which the outboard motor is pivotally mounted. It is to be understood that the term extemal wall" as used herein means a wall of a boat which, under normal operating conditions of the boat is or can be exposed to the water, and is not restricted to a wall of the boat which necessarily constitutes a peripheral surface of the boat.

The present invention is particularly concerned with boats of the type hereinbefore referred to, although it is clearly to be appreciated that the invention is not concerned exclusively with boats of this type but is also concerned with boats in which, by way of example, the steering mechanisms are constituted not by pivotally mounted outboard motors but by, for example, pivotally mounted rudder mechanisms.

In boats of the type hereinbefore referred to it is conventional for the actuating member, and the guide tube within which the actuating member is slidably disposed, to be pivotally mounted in order to accommodate the abovedescribed pivotal movement of the outboard motor relative to the boat, this pivotal movement of the actuating member, and of the guide tube, being, in such boats as hitherto proposed and used, about a joint spaced from the external wall which is provided with the opening through which the actuating member and the guide tube are disposed, with the result that this opening requires to be of considerably greater dimensions than the maximum dimensions of the guide tube at the position at which the guide tube passes through the opening. While the steering mechanisms in such boats function reasonably satisfactorily for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boats, there is the disadvantage that water may, particularly when such a boat is being used in adverse weather conditions, pass through the opening in the external wall of the boat into the interior of the hull with resultant risk that the boat will be swamped, and this is the case even where the external wall is constituted by, for example, a side wall of a well provided in the boat, since under normal operating conditions water frequently passes into the well over the transom constituting the stern wall of the well. Such wells are generally provided with drainage holes, but they rate at which water can flow through these holes from the well may not be sufiicient to prevent an accumulation of water within the well, with resultant risk of the water passing through the opening in the side wall of the well in the manner hereinbefore described.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a boat in which this disadvantage is substantially obviated or mitigated by ensuring that substantially no water can pass through the opening in the external wall of the boat, through which the actuating member and guide tube are disposed.

In order that the invention may be more clearly under-stood and more readily carried into efiect, the same will now, by way of example, be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a boat according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the forward portion of the boat being omitted for clarity;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of part of the boat shown in FIG. 1, one form of the preferred embodiment of the invention being shown in this view in full lines and portions of an alternative form of the preferred embodiment being shown in this view in chain-dotted lines;

FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned side view, in the assembled condition and substantially on the line 3-3 in FIG. 1, of the form of the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 in full lines; and

FIG. 4 is a view substantially corresponding to FIG. 3, but showing the alternative form of the preferred embodiment, portions of which are illustrated in chain-dotted lines in FIG. 2.

In the various views of the drawing, like reference numerals are used to denote like parts.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly FIG. 1 thereof, 10 denotes generally a boat the forward portion of which has been omitted for clarity. The boat 10 is provided with a well 11 which may be of conventional form and the stern wall of which is constituted by a transom l2. Pivotally mounted relative to the boat 10 is a steering mechanism which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, is constituted by an outboard motor denoted generally by the reference numeral 13, the motor 13 which may be of conventional form being pivotally movable relative to the boat 10 about an axis 14 thereby operatively to vary the direction of travel of the boat 10. The motor 13 is mounted on the transom 12 by means, for example, of clamping brackets 15, as is conventional practice.

An actuating member is pivotally connected to the motor 13 at a spaced distance from the axis 14 for controlling pivotal movement of the motor 13 about the axis 14, this pivotal connection between the actuating member and the motor 13 being constituted by a clevis 16 which is mounted on one end of the actuating member and which is pivotally connected to an arm 17 of the motor 13 by means of a clevis pin 18 disposed through the clevis l6 and through a hole provided in the arm 17. In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the actuating member is constituted by a rigid actuating rod 19 which is slidably disposed within a rigid guide tube 20, the ends of the rod 19 and guide tube 20 remote from the clevis 16 being secured to one end of a Bowden cable 21 the remote end (not shown) of which is connected to, for example, a steering wheel arrangement (not shown) which is preferably mounted in the forward portion of the boat 10 and actuation of which causes sliding movement of the rod 19 within the tube 20 in the appropriate direction.

An external wall of the boat 10 which in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing is constituted by a side wall 22 of the well 11 is provided with an opening 23, the guide tube 20 being so disposed through the opening 23 that the guide tube 20 and the wall 22 together constitute a substantially watertight ball and socket joint which is denoted generally by the reference numeral 24 and about which the guide tube 20, with the actuating rod 19 slidably disposed therewithin, is pivotally movable relative to the wall 22. The ball 25 of the ball and socket joint 24 is presented by the guide tube 20 and the socket 26 of the joint 24 is constituted by the portion of the wall 22 bounding the opening 23, the center of the ball 25 being between, and substantially equidistant from, the opposed faces of the wall 22. In the forms of the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing, the portion of the wall 22 constituting the socket 26 of the joint 24 is presented by a pair of opposed plates 27 and 28 which constitute, in effect, portions of the wall 22 and which are mounted on opposed faces of the remaining portion of the wall 22. This remaining portion of the wall 22 has an external face 29 and an internal face 30, the plate 27 which constitutes an external plate being mounted in a substantially watertight manner on the face 29 and the plate 28 which constitutes an internal plate being mounted on the face 30. The mounting of the plates 27 and 28 on said remaining portion of the wall 22 is by means of a plurality of bolts 31 each of which is disposed through aligned holes formed in the plates 27 and 28 and through a hole 32 formed in said remaining portion of the wall 22, a washer 33 and a nut 34 being mounted on each bolt 31 with a compression spring 35 disposed between the washer 33 and the internal plate 28 thereby resiliently to urge this internal plate 28 towards the external plate 27, this resilient urging of the internal plate 28 towards the external plate 27 ensuring that, even in alternative embodiments (not shown) in which said remaining portion of the wall 22 is of lesser thickness relative to the dimensions of the ball 25 and of the socket 26 than in the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing and in which the external plate 27 is maintained in substantially watertight engagement with the external face 29 of said remaining portion of the wall 22, the internal plate 28 is maintained in substantially watertight sliding contact with the ball 25. It is, furthermore, to be understood that in alternative embodiments (not shown) the spring 35 may be omitted, in which case the plates 27 and 28 are, where the thickness of said remaining portion of the wall 22 is, relative to the dimensions of the ball 25, substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, securely clamped to said remaining portion of the wall 22 by the nut and bolt assemblies constituted by the bolts 31 and nuts 34, and are thus both mounted on said remaining portion of the wall 22 in a substantially watertight manner.

The plates 27 and 28 are provided with coaxial holes 36 which are coaxial with a hole 37 provided in the above-mentioned remaining portion of the side wall 22, the holes 36 and 37 together constituting the opening 23. The portions of the plates 27 and 28 which bound the holes 36 provided therein are each in the form of a segment of a spherical surface disposed between two substantially parallel planes and are in substantially watertight sliding contact with the ball 25. These portions of the plates 27 and 28 which bound the holes 36 and .which constitute the socket 26 of the joint 24 extend across substantially the entire distance between the holes 36, so that the socket 26 of the joint 24 is thus constituted by the portion of the wall 22 bounding the entire opening 23 through the thickness of the wall 22 whereby the socket 26 extends across substantially the entire thickness of the wall 22.

The ball is constituted by a plurality of parts of a sphere, there being, in the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing, two such parts denoted by the reference numerals 38, these parts 38 being rigidly interconnected to one another and being rigidly secured to the guide tube 20. In the form of the preferred embodiment illustrated in full lines in FIG. 2 and shown in FIG. 3 each part 38 presents a lug 39 which projects in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the tube and which presents side flange portions 40, with the adjacent side flange portions 40 of the lugs 39 being rigidly interconnected to one another by means of one or more nut and bolt assemblies, one of which is shown in FIG. 2 and is constituted by the bolt 41 and nut 42. This rigid interconnection between the lugs 39 and hence between the parts 38 also serves rigidly to secure the lugs 39 and hence the parts 38 to the guide tube 20. The side flange portions 40 of the lugs 39 are of reduced width, as indicated by the reference numerals 43, adjacent to the parts 38 thereby to increase the permitted degree of angular movement of the rod 19 and the tube 20 within which the rod 19 is slidably disposed. In the alternative form of the preferred embodiment illustrated in chain-dotted lines in FIG. 2 and shown in FIG. 4, the parts 38, which do not present lugs and side flange portions corresponding to the lugs 39 and side flange portions 40, are rigidly interconnected and rigidly secured to the tube 20 by means of a plurality of Allen screws 44.

In use, the steering wheel arrangement is so actuated as to cause sliding movement in the appropriate direction of the rod 19 within the guide tube 20, with resultant pivotal movement of the motor 13 about the axis 14 in the desired direction to vary the direction of travel of the boat 10. Furthermore, the outboard motor 13 may, as is conventional practice, be pivotable relative to the boat 10 about a further axis which is substantially at right angles to the axis 14, thereby to permit the motor 13 to be raised out of the water without the clamping brackets 15 being released, and to pennit pivotal movement of the motor 13 about said further axis caused by the lower end of the motor 13 striking a submerged object.

Pivotal movement of the rod 19 and tube 20 which is caused by pivotal movement of the motor 13 about the axis 14 or about said further axis occurs about the joint 24, the joint 24 ensuring that substantially no water can pass through the opening 23 in the side wall 22 of the well 11 and hence into the interior of the hull of the boat 10.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A boat having a steering mechanism pivotally mounted relative thereto for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boat, an actuating member pivotally connected to the steering mechanism at a spaced distance from the axis about which the mechanism is pivotally mounted relative to the boat for controlling operation of the steering mechanism, and a guide tube through which the actuating member is slidably disposed, an opening being provided through the thickness of an external wall of the boat, the guide tube being disposed through the opening and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of whichis constituted by the portion of said external wall bounding the entire opening through the thickness of said external wall whereby the socket extends across substantially the entire thickness of said external wall, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating member slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said external wall, said portion of said external wall of the boat, which portion constitutes the socket of the ball and socket joint, comprising an external plate and an internal plate mounted, respectively, on an external face and on an opposed internal face of the remaining portion of said external wall with said mounting of the external plate being substantially watertight and with the internal plate being resiliently urged in the direction towards the external plate, the plates being provided with coaxial holes which are coaxialwith a further hole provided in said remaining portion of said external wall and which, together with said further hole, constitute said opening in said external wall, and the portions of the plates defining said holes therein being in substantially watertight sliding contact with the ball presented by the guide tube.

2. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the center of the ball of the ball and socket joint is between, and substantially equidistant from, the planes containing the opposed faces of said external wall.

3. A boat having a steering mechanism pivotally mounted relative thereto for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boat, an actuating member pivotally connected to the steering mechanism at a spaced distance from the axis about which the mechanism is pivotally mounted relative to the boat for controlling operation of the steering mechanism, and a guide tube through which the actuating member is slidably disposed, an opening being provided through the thickness of an external wall of the boat, the guide tube being disposed through the opening and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of said external wall bounding the entire opening through the thickness of said external wall whereby the socket extends across substantially the entire thickness of said external wall, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating member slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said external wall, the ball of the ball and socket joint being constituted by a plurality of parts of a sphere, with said parts each presenting a lug which projects in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the guide tube, and each lug presenting side flange portions with the adjacent side flange portions of adjacent lugs being rigidly interconnected to one another and being rigidly secured to the guide tube thereby rigidly to interconnect said parts of said sphere and rigidly to secure said parts of said sphere to the guide tube.

4. A boat according to claim 3, wherein adjacent to said parts of the sphere the side flange portions of the lugs are of reduced width.

5. A boat having a well provided therein with a stern wall of the well constituting a transom of the boat, a steering mechanism being pivotally mounted on the transom for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boat, an actuating member being pivotally connected to the steering mechanism at a spaced distance from the axis about which the mechanism is pivotally mounted on the transom for controlling operation of the steering mechanism, a guide tube being provided through which the actuating member is slidably disposed, an opening being provided through the thickness of a side wall of the well, and the guide tube being disposed through the open-v ing and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of said side wall of the well bounding the entire opening through the thickness of said side wall whereby the socket extends across substantially the entire thickness of said side wall, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating member slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said side wall of the well.

6. A boat according the claim 5, wherein the steering mechanism comprises an outboard motor.

7. A boat according to claim 5, wherein said portion of said side wall of the well, which portion constitutes the socket of the ball and socket joint, comprises a pair of plates mounted on opposed faces of the remaining portion of said side wall of the well with said mounting of one of the plates being substantially watertight and with the other of the plates being resiliently urged in the direction towards said one of the plates, the plates being provided with coaxial holes which are coaxial with a further hole provided in said remaining portion of said side wall of the well and which, together with said further hole, constitute said opening in said side wall, and the portions of the plates defining said holes therein being in substantially watertight sliding contact with the ball presented by the guide tube.

8. A boat having a transom, an outboard motor pivotally mounted on the transom thereby to permit the direction of travel of the boat to be varied, a well provided in the boat with the transom constituting the stern wall of the well, a rigid actuating rod pivotally connected to the outboard motor at a spaced distance from the axis about which the motor is pivotally mounted thereby to control pivotal movement of the outboard motor about said axis, and a guide tube through which the actuating rod is slidably disposed, a side wall of the well including a pair of plates which are mounted on opposed faces of the remaining portion of said side wall with said mounting of at least one of the plates being substantially watertight, the plates being provided with coaxial holes which are coaxial with a further hole in said remaining portion of said wall and which, together with said further hole, constitute an opening in said side wall of the well, and the guide tube being disposed through the opening in said side wall and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which isconstitut ed by the portions of said plates bounding the coaxial holes therein, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating rod slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said side wall of the well.

9. A boat according to claim 8, wherein the portions of the plates which bound the coaxial holes provided therein and which constitute the socket of the ball and socket joint extend across substantially the entire distance between the coaxial holes provided in the plates.

I l i i mg UNITED s A Es PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 Dated June 20, 1972 Invncm-(x) ERNEST w. ROWLEY It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Change the inventor's address to 38 Blithfield Avenue,

Willowdale, Ontario, Canada Signed and sealed this 9th day of January 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer I V Commissioner of Patents 

1. A boat having a steering mechanism pivotally mounted relative thereto for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boat, an actuating member pivotally connected to the steering mechanism at a spaced distance from the axis about which the mechanism is pivotally mounted relative to the boat for controlling operation of the steering mechanism, and a guide tube through which the actuating member is slidably disposed, an opening being provided through the thickness of an external wall of the boat, the guide tube being disposed through the opening and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of said external wall bounding the entire opening through the thickness of said external wall whereby the socket extends across substantially the entire thickness of said external wall, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating member slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said external wall, said portion of said external wall of the boat, which portion constitutes the socket of the ball and socket joint, comprising an external plate and an internal plate mounted, respectively, on an external face and on an opposed internal face of the remaining portion of said external wall with said mounting of the external plate being substantially watertight and with the internal plate being resiliently urged in the direction towards the external plate, the plates being provided with coaxial holes which are coaxial with a further hole provided in said remaining portion of said external wall and which, together with said further hole, constitute said opening in said external wall, and the portions of the plates defining said holes therein being in substantially watertight sliding contact with the ball presented by the guide tube.
 2. A boat according to claim 1, wherein the center of the ball of the ball and socket joint is between, and substantially equidistant from, the planes containing the opposed faces of said external wall.
 3. A boat having a steering mechanism pivotally mounted relative thereto for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boat, an actuating member pivotally connected to the steering mechanism at a spaced distance from the axis about which the mechanism is pivotally mounted relative to the boat for controlling operation of the steering mechanism, and a guide tube through which the actuating member is slidably disposed, an opening being provided through the thickness of an external wall of the boat, the guide tube being disposed through the opening and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of said external wall bounding the entire opening through the thickness of said external wall whereby the socket extends across substantially the entire thickness of said external wall, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating member slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said external wall, the ball of the ball and socket joint being constituted by a plurality of parts of a sphere, with said parts each presenting a lug which projects in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the guide tube, and each lug presenting side flange portions with the adjacent side flange portions of adjacent lugs being rigidly interconnected to one another and being rigidly secured to the guide tube thereby rigidly to interconnect said parts of said sphere and rigidly to secure said parts of said sphere to the guide tube.
 4. A boat according to claim 3, wherein adjacent to said parts of the sphere the side flange portions of the lugs are of reduced width.
 5. A boat having a well provided therein with a stern wall of the well constituting a transom of the boat, a steering mechanism being pivotally mounted on the transom for operatively varying the direction of travel of the boat, an actuating member being pivotally connected to the steering mechanism at a spaced distance from the axis about which the mechanism is pivotally mounted on the transom for controlling operation of the steering mechanism, a guide tube being provided through which the actuating member is slidably disposed, an opening being provided through the thickness of a side wall of the well, and the guide tube being disposed through the opening and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portion of said side wall of the well bounding the entire opening through the tHickness of said side wall whereby the socket extends across substantially the entire thickness of said side wall, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating member slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said side wall of the well.
 6. A boat according the claim 5, wherein the steering mechanism comprises an outboard motor.
 7. A boat according to claim 5, wherein said portion of said side wall of the well, which portion constitutes the socket of the ball and socket joint, comprises a pair of plates mounted on opposed faces of the remaining portion of said side wall of the well with said mounting of one of the plates being substantially watertight and with the other of the plates being resiliently urged in the direction towards said one of the plates, the plates being provided with coaxial holes which are coaxial with a further hole provided in said remaining portion of said side wall of the well and which, together with said further hole, constitute said opening in said side wall, and the portions of the plates defining said holes therein being in substantially watertight sliding contact with the ball presented by the guide tube.
 8. A boat having a transom, an outboard motor pivotally mounted on the transom thereby to permit the direction of travel of the boat to be varied, a well provided in the boat with the transom constituting the stern wall of the well, a rigid actuating rod pivotally connected to the outboard motor at a spaced distance from the axis about which the motor is pivotally mounted thereby to control pivotal movement of the outboard motor about said axis, and a guide tube through which the actuating rod is slidably disposed, a side wall of the well including a pair of plates which are mounted on opposed faces of the remaining portion of said side wall with said mounting of at least one of the plates being substantially watertight, the plates being provided with coaxial holes which are coaxial with a further hole in said remaining portion of said side wall and which, together with said further hole, constitute an opening in said side wall of the well, and the guide tube being disposed through the opening in said side wall and presenting the ball of a substantially watertight ball and socket joint, the socket of which is constituted by the portions of said plates bounding the coaxial holes therein, and about which the guide tube, with the actuating rod slidably mounted therein, is pivotally movable relative to said side wall of the well.
 9. A boat according to claim 8, wherein the portions of the plates which bound the coaxial holes provided therein and which constitute the socket of the ball and socket joint extend across substantially the entire distance between the coaxial holes provided in the plates. 